SI.com's 10 most popular stories from the week ending Sept. 5
Here is a roundup of SI.com's 10 most popular stories this week. Be sure to read to the bottom for a bonus story from the SI Vault.
Ted Talks
Darren Hauck/Getty
The reclusive Ted Thompson opens up about his 10-year tenure as Green Bay's general manager, pulling back the curtain on why he drafted Aaron Rodgers, how he signed Julius Peppers and what he first saw in a Falcons third-string QB named Favre. By Peter King.
Tough Enough To Walk Away
Ronald Martinez/Getty
In 2013, Texas quarterback David Ash's season ended after three games because of concussions he suffered. On Saturday against North Texas, in the first quarter, he got another one. Is it time for Ash to walk away from football?By Andy Staples.
Going Strong, Then Gone
David Cooper/Toronto Star via Getty
Albert Pujols is back from a foot injury that hampered him last season. But despite his resurgence and the money left on his contract, he's already beginning to think about his days after baseball. By Tom Verducci.
Life After 35-1
Harry How/Getty
Gregg Marshall has built Wichita State into a consistent contender, but he still can't recruit four- and five-star prospects. Where do the Shockers go from here? By Seth Davis.
The Cutting Edge
Scott Cunningham/Getty
Three players whom the The MMQB has followed over the last year -- Andre Williams, Zach Line and Austen Lane -- experienced the NFL’s toughest weekend in three very different ways. By Jenny Vrentas.
The Search To Save Ligaments
Damian Strohmeyer for Sports Illustrated
Even as Tommy John surgery continues to save careers, the search goes on for a way to keep all those elbow ligaments from fraying in the first place. By Matt McCarthy.
Bold Predictions
Patrick Smith/Getty
The Saints will return to the top. Robert Griffin III will continue to struggle. Rob Gronkowski will stay healthy this season. Our NFL expert breaks out 20 predictions for the NFL season. By Don Banks
It's Not Brain Surgery
When he was 7, Frank Buncom IV lost his grandmother to a disease that affected her brain. Now a four-star defensive back in the class of 2015, Buncom wants to playing football and pursuing a degree in neuroscience. By Chris Johnson.
There Is No Offseason
"... You have to be willing to work year-round. Not just because you’re told to, or because you’re paid to, but because you want those results so intensely that the work becomes irrelevant." By Tim Grover.
Fixing at FIBA
AFP via Getty
Fixing games at the FIBA World Cup? Our NBA writer takes a deep dive into the tournament and examines accusations that Australia purposefully lost to Angola. By Ben Golliver
SI Vault Bonus: In The Nick Of Time
"This story -- one of 60 iconic stories being republished, in full, in honor of Sports Illustrated's 60th anniversary -- is about Alabama football in its first year under Nick Saban. It begins with a classic lede: "They say college football is religion in the Deep South, but it's not. Only religion is religion. Anyone who has seen an old man rise from his baptism, his soul all on fire, knows as much, though it is easy to see how people might get confused. But if football was a faith anywhere, it would be here on the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, Ala. And now has come a great revival." By Rick Bragg
